41st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Celtic Fair

This annual FREE community event has been a tradition in the Billings community for 41 years. It features a parade of over 40 festive floats and the Celtic Fair & Street Party fill the streets below Skypoint with the scent of street food and the festive sound of music, cloggers, bag-pipers.

Enjoy a festive atmosphere with outdoor family-friendly activities, food trucks, a FREE concert on Broadway, and more.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Celtic Fair coordinated annually by Downtown Billings Alliance & presented by Hooligans Sports Bar.

Parade Kicks off at 11:00am
Celtic Fair 10:00am to 3pm
Street Party w/ concert 12pm to 3pm

2024 parade applications closed

Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 21, 2024, 4pm MST/ 6pm EST

All entries are required to decorate in a Spring/St. Patrick’s Day theme. Avoid any plain vehicles or trailers from being part of your parade entry.

parade safety message – please read!

event Resources

The current parade route was introduced by the City of Billings in 2021, the route DOES NOT cross N. 27th St for both the Holiday Parade & St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The route begins at 2nd Ave. N. and N. 32nd St. (near Granite Tower) and then heads East on 2nd Ave. N. (toward Skypoint), turns North (left) on N. Broadway, and turns West (left) in one block onto 3rd Ave. N., ending at N. 32nd St.

The float staging are takes place on streets just west of the parade starting point (between Division and N. 32nd St.). View a detailed map of the staging area in the Participation Packet info below.

Parade Route Map

Click to view Celtic Fair Map and Vendor List

If you are available to lend a hand from 9:30am to 12:00pm before the parade email the Events Director at lexiem@downtownbillings.com!

If you are interested in sponsoring the festivities please reach out to the Communications & Outreach Director, Lindsay at LRichardson@downtownbillings.com and she can share current sponsorship opportunities.

2024 Parade

Best Overall Entry – Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter
Best Musical Performance – Ming Cabrea for Congress
Best Interpretation of the Theme – Special Olympics Montana
Best Costumes – Rocky Mountain College
Best performers – Billings Outlaws
Most Original Entry – Yellowstone County Democrats
Best Float Construction – Montana Women’s Run

2023 Parade

Best Overall Entry – Tiny’s Tavern
Best Musical Entry – Billings Caledonian Pipes & Drums
Best Interpretation of the Theme – MasterLube
Best Costumes – Billings Public Library
Best performers – Skystone- Billings Amtgard
Most Original Entry – Habitat for Humanity Mid-Yellowstone Valley
DBA Staff Favorite – Billings Chapter of The Tenacious Dames RC

2022 Parade

Best Overall Entry – Optimists Clubs of Lockwood & Billings Heights
Best Float – St. Patrick’s Co-Cathedral
Best Musical Entry – Billings Caledonian Pipes & Drums
Best Interpretation of the Theme – Sign Pro
Best performers – Skystone- Billings Amtgard
Most Original Entry – Big Sky International Balloon Rendezvous
DBA Staff Favorite – Republic Services

Event Sponsors

This event is coordinated by Downtown Billings’ Business Improvement District (BID) and co-hosted by Hooligan’s Sport Bar . Supported by event sponsors TDS Fiber, MariMint, Valley Credit Union, My Classic Hits 105.9 , Planet 106.7 , 98.1 KBEAR , 94.1 KSKY , ESPN 910 , and The Zone 96.3.

2022 Holiday Parade Awards

Thank you to all the participants in last Friday’s 2022 Billings Holiday Parade. The weather was wonderful and the entries were fantastic. Shout out to all the effort put into each entry that made the 37th downtown Holiday Parade a huge success.

watch the parade broadcast

View the full parade line-up

The volunteer parade judges had a hard job this year making their selections because there were SO MANY outstanding entries.

2022 Parade theme: Holiday Movies

Best Overall Entry – Advanced Employment
Best Float – American Medical Response, Billings
Best Musical Entry – Plenty Coups High School Indian Club
Best Interpretation of the Theme – Cunningham Family
Best Costumes – For the Blank
Best performers – Magic City Majorettes
Most Original Entry – Montana State University Billings
DBA Staff Favorite – City of Billings MET Transit

37th Annual Holiday Parade

The Holiday Parade is a long-time tradition for the Billings community to usher in the holiday season on the Friday after Thanksgiving. With families gathered for the weekend to eat and shop, the Holiday Parade is a great way to celebrate the season by joining the community to see over 60 holiday floats decorated for the holiday theme with Santa riding as the parade finale. Broadcasted live on Community 7 Television.

This year’s parade is presented by out team at the Downtown Billings Alliance and TDS Fiber and supported by Community Seven Television, White Heating & Air Conditioning, Classic Hits, My 105.9, 96.3 The Zone, Planet 106.7 , and KSKY 94.1.

Click for printable Parade Line-Up

Parade Theme

2022 theme: Holiday Movie

All entries are required to decorate for the holiday theme. Avoid any plain vehicles or trailers from being part of your parade entry. DO NOT include a Santa in your entry as the one and only Santa in the parade sits on the float that closes the parade each year.

Parade Safety Message – Please Read!

Resources

A new parade route was introduced in 2021, the parade route no longer crosses N. 27th St. The new route begins at 2nd Ave. N. and N. 32nd St.(near Granite Tower). The route heads east on 2nd Ave. N. (toward Skypoint), turns north (left) on N. Broadway, and turns west (left) in one block onto 3rd Ave. N., ending at N. 32nd St.

The float staging are takes place on streets just west of the parade starting point (between Division and N. 32nd St.). View a detailed map of the staging area in the Participation Packet info below.

Parade Route Map

If you are available to lend a hand from 4:45pm to 7:30pm before the parade please click here or email Frontdesk@downtownbillings.com!

If you are interested in sponsoring the Downtown Billings holidays happenings email our Community Engagment & Events Director, Lindsay at LRichardson@downtownbillings.com and she can share current sponsorship opportunities.

2022 – Holiday Movies

Best Overall Entry – Advanced Employment
Best Float – American Medical Response, Billings
Best Musical Entry – Plenty Coups High School Indian Club
Best Interpretation of the Theme – Cunningham Family
Best Costumes – For the Blank
Best performers – Magic City Majorettes
Most Original Entry – Montana State University Billings
DBA Staff Favorite – City of Billings MET Transit

2021 – Cartoon Celebration

Best Overall Entry – Light the World
Best Float – Sons of Norway, Jotunheimen Lodge
Best Musical Entry – Caledonian Pipes & Drums
Best Interpretation of the Theme – Altana Credit Union
Best Costumes – City of Billings MET Transit
Best performers – Plenty Coups High School Indian Club
Most Original Entry – Optimist Clubs of Yellowstone County
DBA Staff Favorite – Auto Recovery Towing

2019 – Let it Snow

Best Overall Entry – KTVQ – Q2 News
Best Float – Light the World
Best Musical Entry – New Life Church Children’s Choir
Best Interpretation of the Theme – KTVQ- Q2 News
Best Costumes – St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Best performers – Movement Montana
Most Original Entry – White Aspen Ranch
DBA Staff Favorite – Big Sky Country RC Addicts

2018 – Holiday’s Around the World

Best Overall Entry – Santa’s Sleigh, Darwin & Theresa George
Best Float – Sons of Norway, Jotunheimen Lodge
Best Musical Entry – Crow Fair, 2019 Crow Royalty
Best Interpretation of the Theme – Pioneer Oil
Best Costumes – Troy’s Grooming
Best performers – Movement Montana
Most Original Entry – Rivers Ridge Landscaping Co.

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